‘Cow Shake’: Hardee’s New Offbeat Milkshake Commercial

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As the already-famous Paris Hilton/Spicy BBQ Thickburger(TM) TV commercial begins airing in Hardee's® markets today, another Hardee's ad will make its debut for the chain's new Hand-Scooped Ice Cream Shakes & Malts(TM). The new commercial is yet another example of the brand's efforts to connect with its target audience of 18- to 34-year-old males through its advertising.

The ad, titled "Cow Shake," features a young guy pushing against a large Holstein cow in rhythm to the music of the hit single, "Get Busy," by Jamaican reggae star Sean Paul. As Paul sings "shake that thing," the young man attempts to move the rigid black-and-white bovine, whose udder vibrates back and forth with the music. The pay-off line is "Milk ... Shakes."

"This ad is definitely quirky but that was the idea," says Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for Hardee's. "Sean Paul is very popular with our target of 'young, hungry guys,' who make up our most loyal customers. The ad is funny in a wacky way, the music is a great dance club song, and we think the combination is a memorable way to show that our new Hand-Scooped Ice Cream Shakes & Malts are made with real milk, real ice cream, and blended to order.

"We are doing everything we can to make sure that our ads speak effectively to our burger-loving, milkshake-drinking young guys, since we think Hardee's now has the best burgers and shakes in the business," says Haley. "There's no doubt that Paris Hilton's ad for our Spicy BBQ Thickburger(TM) successfully communicated its intended message: ‘That's hot.' This new ad, in a similarly arresting way, gets across the quality of our new Hand-Scooped Ice Cream Shakes & Malts, which are head-and-shoulders above anything being served by any major fast-food chain today."

The ad was created by the Los Angeles advertising agency for Hardee's and Carl's Jr.®, Mendelsohn|Zien. The agency is the developer of many popular iconic ads for both chains, including the Carl's Jr. "If it doesn't get all over the place, it doesn't belong in your face" campaign from the mid-‘90s and the more recent "Mechanical Bull" ad for Hardee's Western Bacon Thickburger(TM).

The Paris Hilton commercial created such a stir that a number of companies and individuals have developed parodies of the ad. Videos of some of the spoofs have been posted on the company's "www.spicyparis.com" web site.